i think i love you
by blind-broccoli
Summary: Archie thinks he loves Betty. Betty shuts him down, and Archie begins to notice the things about Jughead and Betty's relationship he'd never seen before.


_**Prompt I found online that I could definitely see Archie saying sometime in the (hopefully distant) future. No bashing intended! Betty/Jughead pairing. Don't own Riverdale or any of the characters!**_

" **Like, what if I did love you?"**

Betty stared at Archie in dumbstruck disbelief, aware her mouth was hanging open but having no power to consciously snap it shut. Archie had one hand tucked inside the pocket of his jeans, the faint outline of a guitar pick straining against the faded blue fabric acting as the only tell of the nervous clench his fist. He continued to ramble on about his feelings but Betty was stuck on the first few words that had come tumbling out of his mouth the minute he saw her.

What if he loved her? Was he _kidding_ her! It had been months, _months,_ since her (obviously misguided) declaration of love, and he chose this moment to throw that uncommon moment of emotional vulnerability back in her face? Betty tugged agitatedly at the sleeves of her pink sweater, pulling the cloth over the palms of her hands before clenching her own hands in an effort to contain some of the anger coursing through her veins. Taking a deep breath, she tried to imagine Jughead was with her, uncurling her fingers and lacing them with her own as he relaxed her more than any medication she'd taken ever could. But Jughead _wasn't_ there, and as such there was nothing stopping her from the outburst that exploded out of her as she finally tuned back into what Archie was saying.

"STOP! Archie, _shut up!_ What are you doing? I…..I don't even know where to _start!_ Do you seriously think you can just waltz in here and start declaring your love and I'll just fall into your arms like some stupid, weak girl who's been pining after a boy who _clearly told her he didn't have, and had_ _never_ _had, ANY sort of romantic feelings for her._ Am I crazy? I thought we were friends Archie, _real_ friends, and now you're just...stomping all over my relationship with Jughead because you've realised you _might_ have feelings for me. This is a joke!"

Throwing her hands into the air, Betty stared at Archie with a tilt to her hips and a perfectly arched eyebrow, a stance she'd learned from Veronica but had never been able to pull off so effortlessly before. Archie gaped back at her, for in all their years of friendship he'd never seen Betty let go of the tight restraints she kept on her emotions that seemed to fade so freely when Jughead was involved. His eyes roamed from the steel behind her eyes that looked startlingly familiar to the hard set of her jaw, and for a second, _just a second,_ wondered if he should maybe quit while he was ahead. But if there was one thing Archie had learned while trying to make his artistic mark through his music, it's that he was anything but a quitter.

Archie powered on, grimacing slightly when Betty moved her arm out of his comforting reach but continuing with his pre-prepared speech.

"I know that when you first told me I didn't respond the way you'd hoped. I guess it was all that stuff with Grundy, and I was still trying to figure out what to do about my music. But Betty, I know you. I've known you for years, and I know that you can't just turn off your feelings. You said you loved me, and this is me saying I think we should give it a chance."

Finishing with a decisive nod and a soft smile, Archie watched Betty for hopefully positive reaction. Not entirely sure what to expect, what he got certainly wasn't it.

Both Archie and Betty stared in wonder at the red skin of her palm, which had just confidently connected with the side of his face. Betty's face, while for a moment appeared apologetic, was stoney again when he looked, and Archie began to think that maybe quitting wasn't always the worst option to go with. Betty on the other hand, was both horrified and proud of her instinctual reaction. While Jughead wasn't there to witness it, Betty knew he'd be happy about how fiercely she'd reacted to the insinuation that their relationship could be brushed aside with the snap of the fingers of Archie's confused feelings.

Early on in their relationship, both she and Juggie had struggled to commit fully. Jughead, because he didn't want her to be involved in the messed up goings-on of his family, and Betty because she didn't want him to be a rebound guy. She wanted a relationship, a real relationship, with feelings on both sides that she was sure of. So they'd taken their time, sharing secrets over sundaes and through notes written messily into the margins of their favourite books. Over late nights perched on her windowsill and early mornings hunched over the articles for the _Blue and Gold_. They'd told each other things no one else knew, had mapped their plans for the future on each other's skin. They'd come to be the versions of themselves they were happiest being when they were together.

And now Archie was here, declaring his misguided feelings in an attempt to wipe away all the effort she and Jughead had put into making their relationship something _real,_ all because….what? He missed having her around?... He was jealous?...He was lonely after his last tryst with Valerie had combusted? Whatever the reason, Betty couldn't understand how he'd be so willing to throw away his friendship with Jughead by attempting to move in on his girl. And she couldn't believe he was doing this to _her._

How long had she kept her feelings for him hidden, in en effort to preserve their friendship? Years, _years,_ she'd felt the way she had, had mooned over Archie and gushed with Kevin over dreams about when Archie would finally open his eyes and realise that he loved her too. That the girl next door could be _his_ girl. And when she finally told him how she felt, he'd brushed her off with stupid platitudes of her being "perfect" and "too good for him." And then he'd moved right on to Veronica, and then Valerie, and back to Veronica (who had staunchly refused to do _anything_ with him), and now, after months, he was back to her. And she didn't want him. Not like that, not anymore.

The tears came suddenly, stinging her eyes with such force that even blinking couldn't hold them back. Betty stared at the blurry form of Archie and wondered how he could do this, knowing how happy she was with Jughead. How could he say he might love her when, she was just now realising, he didn't even _know_ her. Not anymore. Not after everything that had happened., with Polly and her parents, with Jughead's dad, the police, the investigation… Backing up a few more steps, Betty reached down and tugged her bag onto her back, fiddling with the strap while she tried to decide what to say.

Although Archie was being a complete moron, Betty couldn't deny that she still loved him (and all their years of friendship) enough to just write him out of her life. But she loved Jughead more, and she had to let Archie know that, even if things with Jughead went south, there was no way she'd ever go fall into his arms. There was too much history between them for that to ever be okay, and Archie was still Jughead's closest friend. Still mentally stewing , Betty bit her lip and met Archie's eyes for the first time since her outburst at him. She stared at him and remembered treehouses and broken swingsets, running down the street away from her parents and playing charades through their bedroom windows. All their history couldn't be forgotten either, but if it came down to a choice she would choose Jughead.

"Archie, I wish you hadn't said any of that. I wish you didn't _feel_ any of that. Because now when I look at you the only thing I can see is that pain in Juggie's eyes when I tell him his oldest friend tried to make a move on me. And I will tell him, because one of the best things about Jughead and my relationship is that I trust him, unwaveringly, to always have my back. And I'll always have his."

Betty stared at Archie as his shoulders seemed to slump, eyes darting to the floor as he scuffed his left foot along the wooden panels. When he opened his mouth to reply, Betty cut him off holding up a trembling hand, "I love you Arch, but Jughead's never had anyone who chose him first. His mom chose his sister, his dad chose his drinking...even you chose Grundy over him. But I will always choose him, and that means you have to get over this. When I told you about my feelings and you rejected me, I had to take some time away from you to separate those feelings from our friendship. I think….maybe you should do the same. When you think you're ready to accept Jughead and I….well, we're always going to be friends, Archie. You can count on it."

Archie stared at Betty and for the first time since he'd recognised his jealousy for what it was, he started to feel a bit uncertain. Looking at her now, upset but willing to stand up for what she wanted, Archie began to realise just how much he'd missed. If he'd done this a few months ago, he had no doubt about what her reaction would have bee. Even when Betty was upset with you, she didn't let it on With her, the glass was always half full. But he was finally beginning to realise how little stock he'd put into the strength of her and Jughead's relationship. He'd thought they were both just using each other, passing the time and trying to distract themselves from the bigger problems going on in their life. He should have known; Betty Cooper didn't go half-assed. But what about Jughead? Archie couldn't remember one time that he'd seen Jughead put more than the required effort into their relationship; he seemed a lot more emotionally distant than Betty was. Less invested, almost like he was just trying it out but wasn't really interested.

But that was a thought for another day. Unable to find the words to properly express himself, Archie only nodded at Betty as she zipped up her coat and made her way to the door. It was the last time he spoke to her in more than just a passing for almost three weeks. And in those three weeks, Archie finally realised what Betty had been trying to tell him.

Without being involved with them day-to-day, Archie was able to better see the relationship Betty and Jughead had seemingly fallen into out of the blue. He noticed the eyebrow quirks and quiet smiles over lunch, the worn copies of books that passed between the, the plaid shirt wrapped around Betty's waist after a late River Vixen's practice. He saw the usually quiet and sarcastic Jughead, happy to observe the rest of the world but never really seeming to be a part of it, become absorbed into the words of Betty Cooper. Saw his smile, private and full just for her. The crinkle in his eyes and the huffs of laughter that filled the air between them. The shyness that seemed to cloud Jughead's features every time he reached for Betty's hand, and the look in his eyes every time Betty looked at him.

The final straw for Archie happened one Saturday morning. Jogging up the path towards his house and taking in deep panting breaths, Archie paused in his backyard to hose himself off and try to cool down before going inside for his shower. His gaze strayed across to the Cooper's house, like it often did, and what he saw made his drop the hose he'd been holding. Ignoring it as it whizzed across the garden spraying water everywhere, Archie kept his eyes on the window of the Cooper's house that showed a view into their dining room table, his mouth dropping open.

There was Jughead, sitting at the table with one hand resting on the back of Betty's chair while his other held a glass of orange juice up near his face. He was laughing, sharing joke or a comment of some kind with Betty, and _Mrs. Cooper was sitting there without the usual scowl pinching her eyebrows,_ acting as if there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. What. The. Hell!

Jughead was having breakfast with the Cooper's. And enjoying himself. He was actually relaxed. _Laughing_ , even. Was it the apocalypse? Had Archie been hit by a car while running and was he now in some sort of coma of a parallel universe where everything was the opposite of what it should be?

Except...maybe this was what is really was. While the Parent Coopers' had never really warmed to him (in part due to the red hair he sported, Archie was sure), Jughead seemed right at home sitting at their table. It was normal. Routine, almost. Transfixed, he watched as the barest hint of a smile flitted across Mama Cooper's face before the mask was back in place. And that's what really settled it in Archie's mind.

He'd been wrong. So wrong. Jughead and Betty didn't make sense on the surface; they should have been complete opposites, with nothing to talk about when there was no mystery involved. But maybe that's what attracted them to each other; the feeling they had when they were together must have been a mystery before they discovered them, and would continue being a mystery because when you loved someone, you never truly tired of learning about them, with them.

Remembering the last day of summer, when Betty was talking to him about her internship, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed at the inattention he'd shown her. He'd been too busy staring at the new, pretty face of one Veronica Lodge to register the wonder in Betty's voice as she spoke. But Jughead didn't have that problem, and from her fierce defense of him in the previous weeks, Betty had no problem returning his affection.

He caught the smile Betty sent Jughead's way, and the tug of a curl on Betty's ponytail that Jughead returned. He'd never seen either of them so happy, so free. He may have his feelings, but he was determined not to ruin things for Betty and Jughead. They deserved the happiness they'd found for themselves. Even if it cost him his chance with Betty, Archie was resolute in his decision not to interfere. Betty's blinding smile directed at Jughead and the tug of his grey beanie solidified his decision.

She'd never looked that happy looking at him. Turning, Archie stepped inside over the landing of his house and shut the door, leaning against it with a sigh. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick group text.

 _ **To: Jug+Bettty**_

 _ **From:**_

 _ **Pop's later? V+K are in. My treat.**_

And that was that.


End file.
